Portioning mechanism



SHEETS-SHEET 1..

Patented .1311.111922 J. F. WINELAND. PQRTIONING'MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED'MAR. 20, 1919.

UNITED STATES JOHN F. WINELANI), OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PORTIONING MECHAN ISM.

Application filed March 20, 1919.

To @ZZ 107mm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN F. VVINELAND, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of .Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Portioning Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain new and y useful improvements in machines for severing individual portions, such as the portioning machines for butter in restaurants.

More particularly, my present invention comprises, interalia, a new and improved portioning machine provided with one or more sets of feeding and slicing mechanism and a chilling closet for the individual butter plates or other serving containers, and also with means for storing additional slabs of butter, or other product to be dispensed.

I also provide a new and improved form o f slicing and measuring mechanism, including means for insuring the positive discharge of the severed portion into the waiting butter plates or other containers.

I also provide a novel loader by means of which the feeding mechanism may be conveniently and expeditiously replenished with the product.

Numerous other novel features of construction and arrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are merely intended to illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention without limiting the scope of the same to the construction shown, Fig. 1 is broken front elevation of a multiple portioning machine 'embodying my present invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same taken along the irregular line II-II in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a vertical section, on slightly greater scale, taken along the line III-III in Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the loader tubes; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section showing the sliding frame and its mounting; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the action ofthe detaching block in slipping the severed product from the slicing knife; and Fig. 7 is a broken vertical section of one of the feed tubes showing h ow the chain ring signals that the tube is empty.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings. A

The outer Casing of the machine consists Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

mai No. 283,927.

of an open topped box or container A which may be of wood or metal, preferably the latter and nickel plated. The top of the casing is closed by a removable lid or cover B which may be in one or several parts, as may be regarded the more desirable. l is the continuous back wall of casing A, 2 the end walls. and 3 the front wall. A is the bottom of the said casing.

The center portion of the casing A in the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, is occupied by a cooling closet C in which are stored the supply of individual butter plates or other serving containers 5. The closet may be conveniently formed of sheet metal having integral top, bottom. back and side walls with an open front normally closed by a pair of sliding doors 6 which may be of metal or wood. The doors 6 are arranged to slide back out of the way in door pockets 7 formed between the side walls of the closet C and vertical partitions S connecting the front and rear walls of the casing A. The front wall 4 of the casing A is cut away to form the doorway of the closet C, and said closet does not extend to the top of the casing, but above said closet is mounted a pan or reservoir D for a refrigerant, such as broken ice. Adjacent to and parallel with the rear wall of the closet C is provided an inner rear wall 9 of duplex construction and provided with an inner lining l() of cork or some other heat-insulating material. e The top and bottom walls of said closet extend only to said inner wall 9 so that a vertical passage is formed back of the interior of the closet for the downward passage of chilled air. The top of the closet is also preferably slatted or provided with openings 11 for the downward passage of cold air into the interior of the closet. Cold air is also admitted into the top of the pockets 7 so that the closet, C is thoroughly chilled by the refrigerant in pan D. y

At either side of the closet C the container is provided with an elevated iioor 12 and a short distance below said floor the front wall 3 of the casing is cut away to provide clearance for the insertion of butter plates 5 under the portioning mechanism. 13 represents a box introduced into each of the oompartments formed in each end of the casin by the walls 1, 2 and 3, the partitions 8 and the floors 12, Sa-id bones are open at their 110 top and are provided with duplex walls containing a heat-insulating interlining. At their tops such boxes are provided with outwardly extending horizontal lips or fianges 14 which are secured to the tops of the surrounding outer walls whereby the boxes 14 are sus-' pended in the casing with an air space surrounding the former.

15 is a horizontal brace in each box 13 parallel with and spaced in front of its rear wall and in the rear of said brace, a refrigerant pan 16 is mounted on pedestals 17. The pan 16 is'of such dimensions as to leave an air space surrounding its vertical walls.

Against the front face of the brace 15 are fixed one or morevertical feed tubes 18, Vopcn at both ends and extending through the bottom of the box 13, the lower ends of tubes 18 being fixed in corresponding openings in the floor 12. The upper ends of the tubes 18 are preferably slightly [iared to assist in introducing there/into the slabs or reds 19 of butter or other product-sto be portioned.

' 20 lis a weight riding vin tube 18 on top of the slab 19 t0 insure the gravity descent of the slab in said tube, and said weights may be raised out of the tubes by means of attached chains 21, extending up through holes in the lid B. Rings 22 are provided for the chain ends to' prevent their slipping down through said holes.

Y The weight should be sufcient to overcome' any tendency on the part of the butterV f slab to stick to the walls of the tube 18.

Thus in a tube ot' say one and one-half (192;). inches in diameter a less than hal-tl pound weight issufticient.

The chain is of suilicient length to permit lthe-weight to travel down to within say a vquarter of an inch of the bottom of tube 18. then the weight reaches its lowermost position and is suspended at the end of the chain, the ring; will` assume a vertical position,

A .projecting above the top B and thus signaling that the particular tube 18 is empty and must be recharged with a fresh slab of but-V 'The tubes 18 may be. further braced by horizontat struts 23 connecting` said tubes rwith `the front wall of the box 13.

intersecting thcopen bottom of each tube 18is a slideway formed by securing to the under face of the floor 12 a pair of parallel angle irons 211 whose horizontal-flanges extend-inwardly toward Veach othervto receive and support1 the sliding frame V25Y which moves: against-the door 12. Said frame is provided with a push stem 26 which pro- I' trudest'hrough'a slot 27 extending upwardly from the bottom edge of aloeking plate 28 secured -to the front lwall 3 by thumb screws A2.9' extending through vertically slotted holes "304m said'plate; By loosening the thumb screws and Iraisingthe lock plate, theframe 25xmay be withdrawn from the machine but when the plate is lowered and the screws Y tightened, the. outward movement of the frame is limited by a stop-block31 depending from the floor 12 in the inward path of the sliding frame. Vrihe frame is normally held in its outer position, shown inY Figs. 2 and 3, by an arm 32 which bears against the inner end of the frame 25. The arm 32 is pivoted by means of its integral collar bearing on a pi'n 33 on a bracket 34 secured to the under side of the floor 12, and a helical spring 35 coiled about the collar bearing` has one end secured vto the arm 32 while its other end is secured to the bracket.V Thus, the frame is forced rearwardly against the action of the spring whichimmediately returns the frame to its normal, forward position when the push rod is released by the waitress.

In the rear of the frame is mounted the horizontal spacer or slabV supportingY platform 36 upon which the lower end of the butter slab 19 rests when the frame is in the position shown in the drawings. The spacer 3G is located a distance below the open mouth of tube 18 equal to the thickness of the por tion to be sliced from the butter slab. 3T is a slicing knife horizontally mounted on the front ofthe frame 25 and moving in close contact with thejfloor 12 so as to slice off the end of the slab 19 when the frame 211 moves inwardly in response toa Vpush on the stem 26. The top surface of the knife is flat to maintain close contact with thel `licor .12'. The cutting edge of therknife is formed by a relatively sharp taper of the lower wall 'of the knife while the body of the knife tapers gradually toward the front. TheV adjacent cdgcs of the spacer 36 and the knife 37 are far enough apart so that when the frame is at its normal position of rest with its cuttingedge slightly in front of the mouth of tube 18, as shown in Fig.- 3, the spacer 36 is positioned underfthe rear third .of the slab 19, and therefore when the knife has` been severed and the frame returns toits Y normal position,the slab is supported by the knife' until the latter moves forwardly' from f beneath the tubev 18, when the slab then drops down and is again supportedby the spacer v37 which has now reassumed its original/posit-ion. 38 is a detachingbl'ock attached to the under side of the floor 12 and provided with a butter engaging nose which is tapered from above andrbelow, as shownA in Fig. 3,

the upper incline being substantially complementary to the tapered cutting edge of theknife, so that when-the knife approaches the inner end of its travel, the block 38 slices the severed portion 19a downwardly olf of the knife into the waiting dish 5. The knife and block do not contact but approach closely together. The block 38 is narrow so as not to prevent a wide enough surface for the severed portion to adhere to and thus fail to drop. A third of an inch is a suilicient width as in such case the weight of the portion would be suflicient to overcome any tendency on the part of the severed portion of butter to stick to the block 33. The forward taper of the under surface of the knife prevents the severed portion adhering to the under face of the knife. The under portion of the detaching block is laterally tapered toward its bottom to further facilitate the disengagement of the severed portion 19a.

39 is a vertical partition, assisting to support the floor 12 and also forming the rear wall of the open compartment in which the butter plates 5 are inserted under the portioning mechanisms.

As the lower end of the slab 19 is at frequent intervals sliced off into portions by the operation of the knife, the weight 20 assists in causing the sla-b to descend so that after each slicing operation, the butt of the slab drops down onto and is supported by the spacer 36. This is repeated until the slab is used up and a fresh slab must be inserted in the top of the tube 18. To 1facilitate this reloading of the tubes 18 with fresh slabs 'of butter or other product, I provide al loader which consists of a tube 40, Fig. 4, which is in effect a pair of longitudinally split and separated half tubes held in juXta-position by angle brackets 41 secured to their ends leaving a pair off opposed longitudinal slots 42. 43 is a slide moving in the interior of the tube 40 provided with handles 44 which extend outwardly through said slots. The slabs of butter, out to proper form by hand or by a suitable machine are slipped longitudinally into the loader 40, the slide 43 being shoved to the opposite end of the tube to ac as a temporary bottom and the loaders are then inserted with. the slide end down into the front compartment of the box 13 about the feed tubes 18, thus keeping the reserve supply of butter chilled. lVhen the slab in one of the tubes 18 is used up, the lid B and the weight 19 are removed and the open end olf one of the loa-ders registered with the top of the tube 1S and the slide 43 forced down the loader tube by means of the protruding handles 44, thus cjecting the slab of butter from the loader into the tube 18. The slab drops down in the tube 18 and rests on the spacer 36, as above described. The weight 20 and the lid B are now replaced and the machine is ready for continued operation.

Itis evident from the .foregoing that my h machine is eminently fitted for restaurant and hotel use, as it accurately measures and portions off the butter in response to a simple )ush lfrom the waitress on the push stem. he severed portion is positively and accurately delivered onto the waiting butter dish without danger of sticking or adhering to the operating parts.

The descent of the butter in the feed tube is natural and not forced, as in a machine where a screw or lever plunger is used. Thus, there is no compression of the butter nor squeezing out of the whey or flavor. Thus the butter is delivered to the customer in its natural state as it comes from the creamery with no loss of volume, weight or flavor.

The product is kept properly chilled until delivered and the plates are also kept chilled so that the butter is not served to the customer in the now usual messy condition. The device is entirely sanitary as the human hands do not come in Contact with the butter. The convenience of the machine is marked and the saving in butter, relfrigerants and time is of the utmost advantage.

Although for the sake of clearness I have minutely described the embodiment of my invention illustrated in theJ drawings, I do not wish to limit myself thereby, but claim broadly 1. In a portioning machine of the character described, the combination of a casing inclosed on its bottom and sides, but havingr an'open top, a removable closure for the top of said casing, a dispensing tube fixedly mounted in said casing and having its discharge end protruding through the bottom of said casing, the said tube being loaded through the top of said casing, reciprocating slicing means at the discharge end of said tube' and movable in a plane transverse to the axis of the latter, a chilling closet within said casing and closed in therefrom, a door in the wall of said casing giving access to said chilling closet, and a refrigerant tank in said casing, substantially as described. Y 2. In a portioning machine of the character described, the combination of a casing having an open top and a closed bottom, a top closure for said casing, portioning means consisting'of a tube, adapted to receive a bar of product, fixed in said casing, the said tube being loaded through the top of said. casing and the bottom of said tube extending through the floor of said casing and slicing means for the bottom end of said tube', a chilling closet mounted in said casing, a door in the wall of said casing communicatand a refrigerant tank on top of said closet within said casing.

3. In a portioning machine of the character described, the combination of a casing aving an open top and a closed bottom, a

ing with the interior of said chilling closet,

top closure for said casing, portioning means consisting of a tube, adapted to receive a bar of product, fixed in said casing, the said tube being loaded through'the top of said casing andthe bottom of said tube extending through the floor of said casing and slicing means for the bottom end of said tube, a chilling closet mounted in said casing, a door in the wall ofsaid casing communicating withl the interior of said chilling closet, a refrigerant. tank within said casing adjacent to said tube, and a second refrigerant tank on the top of said closet within said casing.

4. 'In a combination with a. portioning machine provided with a dispensing tube having an open discharge orifice at its lower end wherefroni the product to be portioned is caused to protrude, and a knife, mounted to reciprocate at the discharge end of said tube in a. plane transverse to the axis of the latter, said knife being characterized by a front cutting edge formed by a bevel of the lower -face of said knife, the remaining lower face being upwardly inclined toward its rear end, substantially as described.

5. ln a combination with a portioning machine provided with a dispensing'tube having an open discharge orifice at its lower end wherefrom the product to be portioned is caused to protrude, a knife, mounted to reciprocate at the lower end of said tube in a plane transverse to the axis of the latter, said knife being characterized-by a front cutting edge formed by a bevel of the lower face of said knife, and a portion' detaching blockmounted adjacent topath of said knife and provided with an inclined face complenientary to the cutting edge of said knife, Y substantially as described.

6. In a combination with a portioning machine provided with a dispensing tube having an open Vdischarge orifice at its lower end wherefrom the product to 'be portioned block, the upward bevel being complementary to the' bevel of said knife, substantially as described. Y

7. In a portioning machine, a casing having a closed bottom and an open top, a removable closure for said casing, said closure being provided with perforations, a plurality of gravity feed dispensing tubes in said casing,.the bot-tom ofv said tubes being openthrough the bottom of said casing, meansk below said casing for severing portions from slabs of product in said tubes, members riding on the tops of'saidslabs in said tubes, and indicator devices connected to said members and extending up through the perforations in said topclosure to indicate the top levels of said slabs in said tubes, v,for the purpose described.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 18th day of March, 1919.

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